Cochrane, Ontario, Canada, is a northern Ontario town situated on Highway 11, the major highway in the area and part of the Trans-Canada Highway system. The town's population consists of approximately half anglophone and half francophone residents. Cochrane is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a 1 hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region.
Cochrane is home to the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat and Heritage Village, the home for Nanook the male bear, and Aurora and Nakita, his two furry female companions. The habitat has been recognized as ecologically sound. It's also a very popular attraction for animal lovers from around the globe. Perhaps the most adventurous aspect of the Habitat is the fact that visitors can wade in the same pool as the bears, separated by a specially made sheet of glass.
Visitors can set aside a full day to enjoy the famous Polar Bear Express excursion train, which runs daily between Cochrane Moosonee. Cochrane Station comes alive every morning as hundreds of tourists enjoy breakfast and then board the train for the day-long adventure north to the end of steel. The wilderness can also be explored via the local waterways. Canoeing and kayaking are always popular on the numerous lakes and rives in this area. A different sort of fun can be had with nearby houseboat rentals, which allows you to be our own skipper for a few days or with the help of an experienced guide.
This unique facility is the only rehabilitation centre of its kind in the world.
At the Cochrane Railway and Pioneer Museum, a locomotive with four wagons, reconstructed interiors, historical implements and photographs from the...